July 10, 2012, marked the 34th anniversary of the first military coup in Mauritania. In 1978, the military overthrew president Moktar Ould Daddah, Mauritania's first president after achieving independence from France in 1960.

The political authorities began to systematically exclude the Trarza Region, and Boutilimit, in particular. The new military elite decided to turn the town into a prison for its sons, who were the brothers and relatives of President Ould Daddah. Intellectuals who came from the region were also amongst the first targets. Ahmed Ould Daddah [half-brother of Moktar Ould Daddah] was under house arrest in Boutilimit, which allowed him to memorise the Holy Qur'an. The Emir Habib Ould Ahmed Salem [emir of Trarza] brewed in his sorrow as he was carried in the back of a truck on the way to Nouakchott through the Mederdra plains.

The activist Baba Ould Brahim wrote about the anniversary on his blog Surakh Al Watan (“The Scream of The Nation”):

To talk about coups in Mauritania is to talk about fifteen coups, some of which found a way to seize power, while others failed. It began with the coup in 1978 and continued, and it remains a fate governing the lives of Mauritanians until today. They can be summarised, and divided into three basic phases. The first was from 1978-1991, the second phase lasted until the coup in 2005, and third has still not finished. If not for the difference in people and names, we could say that Mauritania has seen a single coup, as all the coups have had the same reason, and have been similar in the way they were carried out, and have achieved the same results.
July 10, 1978 was Mauritania's appointment with the first coup by a group of army officers, who claimed that their motive was the war waged by the army against Polisario in conditions they described as difficult, with no chance of more weapons, supplies, or training.
Something inherent to each coup has been the elimination of all aspects of the civil state, made clear in the constitutional charter, which prohibits political pluralism and stops civilians from participating in politics.

The anniversary of this fateful day hurts me, and it's painful to see that the elite of my country are unaware of the gravity of the matter and the horror of this disaster… Down with Mauritanian military rule

The activist Baba Ould Hourma commented on the revival of the July 10 anniversary by the 25 February movement:

The position of the 25 February movement on the anniversary of the first military coup reflects the comprehensive awareness of the roots of the political dilemma in Mauritania and a disregard for the traditional powers in the country